


How Witcher potions work so fast

by PerplexinglyParadoxialPerson



Series: Theories and meta [9]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Meta, Potions, Witcher Potions (The Witcher), theory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 01:48:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29910309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerplexinglyParadoxialPerson/pseuds/PerplexinglyParadoxialPerson
Summary: A look at how on earth Witcher potions take effect so fast.
Series: Theories and meta [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1546192
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	How Witcher potions work so fast

**Author's Note:**

> Lots of science talk, but hopefully it’s understandable!

Okay, so I’ve never seen this weirdness in the Witcher world addressed in any fanfic, Tumblr post, or anything, so I figured I’d start the conversation. 

Simply put, Witcher potions take effect immediately. But drugs taken orally tend to take effect around thirty minutes after you swallow them. Those are two very different timetables. (Yes, Chaos could be the reason, but usually, the most magical parts of a potion are monster bits, which doesn’t make sense to effect timing, and it’s also less fun to just shrug it off as magic) For the rest of this, I will be assuming that potions can be equivalent to normal body altering substances in our world, so as to not make this more difficult.

The reason why drugs taken orally take longer to take effect, is because it is absorbed partially by the stomach lining, but also by the small intestine. It also takes far more of the drug to have the same effect as a drug ingested by other means, due to stomach acid. Of course, alcohol takes effect in five to ten minutes, it already being a liquid, but that is still far too long. If a Witcher that’s bleeding out takes a Swallow then passes out, and it takes five to ten minutes to take effect, then you’ve got a dead Witcher on your hands. 

And if we’re trying to find a reason why potions take effect immediately, drugs tend to be absorbed by mucus membranes, and the ones in the nose are especially good at doing it, partially because the drug doesn’t have to get passed the acid in the stomach first, and partially because the nasal cavity has small blood vessels lining it, as well as a far thinner mucus layer than the lungs, making it far easier to get into the system quickly. There’s also the fact that the nose is far closer to the brain, and some studies say that higher concentrations of drugs pass through the Blood Brain Barrier when delivered through the nasal cavities. While snorted drugs may take effect in about two minutes, some nasal sprays can take effect almost instantly due to their liquid state. 

Of course, we know that Witchers aren’t using nasal sprays of their potions, but if they had mucus membranes with the same permeability as nasal membranes, most likely in their mouth or throat, they could actually get the near-instant effects of their potions. It makes a certain kind of sense that with all the body altering substances they were given, a weird mutation like better mucus membranes in the throat would happen in the first place, and with the decades of change to the mutagens that the mages would make, that beneficial change would happen to all Witchers eventually.

Of course, much of it wouldn’t be absorbed in the throat due to the limited time spent there, so Witchers would likely get a first hit, then after five to ten minutes, get a second hit once the potion was absorbed by the stomach lining. 

Of course, there’s also the issue of the potion effects being less over time, but that’s another theory.

That would also mean that any human that drank a Witcher potion would die, yes, but only after the five to ten minutes it would take to absorb into their system.

**Author's Note:**

> Edit:Apparently in the books it takes a while for potions to take effect, unlike how it works in most of the fanfiction I’ve read! Just wanted to let you know!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! You can find me on my [tumblr](https://perplexinglyparadoxialperson.tumblr.com/), if you want to check me out there!


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